Swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles had a successful few days at the Paris Olympics.
Host Scott Detrow:
From France’s Olympic greatness to America. Think about what you were doing in the summer of 2012, where you were in your life, and where you were in your career. That’s when 15-year-old Katie Ledecky burst onto the international swimming scene, beating the rest of the field to win gold in the grueling 800-meter freestyle event. Four years later, she did it again in Rio and then again in an empty Tokyo Olympics. Ledecky also won medals and other events, and earlier in the Paris Games she became the most decorated female Olympic swimmer ever.
This afternoon, she returned to the 800m race. Fifteen-year-old Katie Ledecky is the best person in the world at her sport. Today, 12 years later, 27-year-old Katie Ledecky is still the best player in the world. The incident came just hours after gymnast Simone Biles won her third gold medal at the Paris Olympics, further cementing her extraordinary achievements from the mental health struggles she faced in Tokyo three years ago. Two of the all-time great GOATs working in Paris, two U.S. Olympians bolstered their case that they will be part of the torch relay when the Games are held in the United States in four years.
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